Chapter 1032: Chapter 440: Body Refining Breaks Through to Fourth Rank Upper Grade; Soaring Dragon Art Transforms (3)

The solid blood cocoon shattered with a crisp sound, turning into countless blood-colored light specks that rolled back like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, pouring into the towering figure at the center.

Xu Ping slowly opened his eyes, a tangible blood-golden radiance flashing across his pupils before quickly fading away.

He did not deliberately circulate Mana, yet the blood energy fluctuations naturally emanating from his body were already no different from a genuine Fourth Rank Upper Grade pure-blood True Dragon descending here.

The surging vitality was almost overflowing; beneath his skin, pale-golden runes had completely stabilized, flowing ceaselessly and containing explosive power.

"Not bad."

The corners of Xu Ping’s lips lifted slightly, revealing a sincere smile.

A genuine Fourth Rank Upper Grade physique, and a seasoned Fourth Rank Upper Grade Dragon Might.

This was precisely the ultimate result attainable after a year of bitter cultivation with the Dragon Essence Blood Tempering Pill, and also the perfect outcome he had been dreaming of.

Feeling the blood energy within him surging like great rivers, seemingly inexhaustible, and that majesty from the depths of his bloodline that belonged to the high-order Dragon Race, his heart felt incomparably elated.

"Let’s try the Soaring Dragon Art!"*

A trace of burning anticipation rose in Xu Ping’s eyes.

After his physique and Dragon Might had undergone qualitative change, what kind of splendor could this Secret Technique now display?

His mind stirred slightly. He did not make any obvious movements, merely took a simple step forward.

"Hum!"

The Mana in his body and the newly reborn, ocean-like surging blood energy instantly intertwined and resonated.

"Aoo~!"

The next moment, Xu Ping’s entire body transformed into a blood-red streak of light. It was no longer a vague Escape Light; its form was far closer to an agile and awe-inspiring True Dragon phantom.

This blood-colored dragon shadow, like a blood-red bolt of lightning tearing through the sky, darted rapidly about the spacious secret chamber.

Its speed surpassed the limit of what a Nascent Soul Cultivator’s Divine Sense could capture.

One could only see a blood line flashing and turning again and again in the void, leaving behind layers of lingering afterimages that refused to dissipate.

And this was only the beginning!

Xu Ping’s mind moved again. The Dragon Might on him, which was already astonishing enough, erupted in full force without reservation and perfectly merged into the operational trajectory of the Soaring Dragon Art.

The dragon’s roar suddenly became piercingly high.

The shuttling blood-colored dragon shadow instantly condensed several times over; scales, claws, and fangs were all clearly visible, almost solid.

An overbearing, tyrannical, all-rending aura swept across the entire cave abode.

At this moment, what Xu Ping had transformed into was no longer a simple streak of light, but a true blood-colored True Dragon.

Its might was so great that it faintly carried a trace of the presence Ao Guang the Dragon King had displayed when he revealed his true form back then.

If a Nascent Soul Perfect Cultivator were standing in its path at this moment, it would be no exaggeration to say that a single strike might be enough to severely wound them on the spot, or even cause their physical body to collapse.

"Hu."

The blood light abruptly drew in, being sucked back into his body like a giant whale swallowing water.

Xu Ping’s figure solidified, once again standing quietly in the center of the secret chamber, slowly withdrawing his momentum.

The berserk aura around him, sufficient to tear open the void, vanished in an instant without a trace, as though that world-destroying blood-colored True Dragon just now had been nothing but an illusion.

However, Xu Ping’s face could not help but reveal an expression of unrestrained ecstasy.

"My blood energy has broken through, my Dragon Might has increased greatly—this Soaring Dragon Art... has undergone a qualitative transformation."

He could clearly perceive that the Soaring Dragon Art, as it was now, had in essence completely surpassed the scope of Nascent Soul Level Escape Techniques and body-tempering close-combat techniques.

Even if he were to face the Hehuan Old Devil head-on, backed by this art, he might truly be able to entangle him for a time, instead of only dodging.

This was, without a doubt, another method at his disposal that could stably reach the Divinity Transformation Level.

More importantly, this was an ultimate close-quarters combat technique.

If he could get close to a Divinity Transformation Cultivator and unleash it unexpectedly, the instantaneous explosive power it produced would be enough to inflict terrifying damage on the Divinity Transformation Cultivator’s physical body, sufficient to alter the course of battle.

"Moreover, this is far from its limit."

Xu Ping’s gaze burned, "If I can find the Nine Heavens Gang Wind Essence and cultivate the ’Nirvana Golden Body’... then the might of this Soaring Dragon Art will surely surge once again!"

Yet at this thought, his brows knit slightly.

"However, by then my Mana will likely become the weak link."

He looked inward at himself. Within the purple mansion of his Dantian, the Nascent Soul cradled the Canghua Divine Wood Sword; the Mana around it was indeed pure and vast, far beyond those of the same realm.

But compared to a true Fifth Rank physique, there was still a substantial gap.

"If my Mana could advance one step further, reaching the Nascent Soul Perfection Level—if both its purity and total amount could rise another tier, supporting and driving this body even better..."

"Then, relying on the Soaring Dragon Art, even facing the Star Palace Saints head-on to test our strength might not be impossible."

An enticing thought rose in his heart, but was quickly suppressed.

"Right now, even the ’Nine Heavens Gang Wind Essence’ has yet to show a trace; thinking of this is a bit too distant."

Xu Ping shook his head. "The urgent task is still to focus on the Sword Dao."

"Continuous progress in the Sword Dao has greater potential and allows my improved comprehension to shine more fully."

...

Time flew by; while war raged on outside, within Blood Bone Island the years flowed in quiet peace, and another three years passed.

The war between the Star Palace and the Outer Sea Alliance, after that world-shaking Divinity Transformation battle, did not cease. Instead, it shifted into an even more cruel and protracted war of attrition.

The two sides clashed incessantly along the long frontier line, with frictions and raids; small-scale conflicts, like festering wounds, spread across the Outer Sea.

Countless low-level Cultivators and Demon Beasts fell, staining the blue waves with blood.

Fortunately, if the Outer Sea Demon Race lacked anything it was not Demon Beasts; they had them in overwhelming numbers and reproduced quickly, so they could still barely withstand such ruthless attrition for the time being.

As for beings like Xu Ping, who had already proven they possessed Divinity Transformation-level combat strength, they would not take action unless it was a decisive battle.

This also granted Xu Ping precious, peaceful time for cultivation.

On this day, in the underground cave abode.

Xu Ping was not displaying any earth-shattering Sword Technique. He merely held the Canghua Divine Wood Sword and slowly moved it within a few feet of space.

The sword moves were plain and unadorned, even somewhat slow, yet with every stroke he drew, the void around the sword tip faintly twisted, as if countless fine, invisible Sword Qi were being born and extinguished, gathering and dispersing.